Deeply disappointed with my experience and results...

10 Aug 2016

2 months post

Deeply disappointed with my experience and results. Should never have gone to a general plastic surgeon for any work above the neck. Dr. Seckel is a lovely guy with great bedside manner. Foolishly, I was charmed by this and selected him over a facial plastic surgeon with more brusque manner. I will now be seeing that guy for a face/neck lift revision.

While my neck is slightly smoother, my profile is unchanged (oh wait - it's changed a bit - you can now see a very bulging raised ugly scar under my chin on the left side of my profile). There are so many things wrong that the negatives far outweigh that very small positive.
The biggest issue is that my ears; they look like they were sewed on by a child with poor vision. They truly do look stitched on - there's no seamless transition. Moreover, they now are attached at different angles - one at the normal 90 degrees, but the other at an almost 45 degree angle. I must keep them covered at all times.

The scars left from this surgery are noticeable and prominently placed. The one under my chin is huge and was sewn up Frankenstein style - no even stitching and it shows. I was given no aftercare instructions for it (or any of the other scars) save use an over the counter scar cream. I was given no instructions about scar massage or silicon sheets if scar became raised; it was necessary to find this information and about post-op care of scars in the Internet. The scars behind my ears are still red, raised, and have not healed. I wonder if stitches have been left in. The reason for this suspicion is that stitches were left in my right ear. After becoming infected and very painful for a month, the stitch worked its way out.
Other issues, which I will detail later:

Emerson hospital experience was awful. There were so few nurses on at night. I waited over 20 minutes for one to respond to the call for help I placed when in huge amount of pain. Another thing I found weird and was deeply uncomfortable with - the way I was catheterized after I was unconscious. Not a good thing to wake up and realize someone was poking around down there while you were out. It should have at least been mentioned pre-op.

I was sent home with ineffective painkillers - husband had to make a five-hour round-trip drive to pick up prescription for others. A thought about this - if a patient lives that far away, maybe send her home with paper prescriptions, just in case, since calling in prescriptions for that class of drug is not allowed. Or make contact with a local doctor willing to do so. Or have a courier service do it. For 14K, the doctor should have had this covered. Out of state patients should not believe the promises on web-site that it will not be inconvenient to use Dr. Seckel.

Contracted contact dermatitis from one use of a product that Dr. Seckel’s aesthetician recommended and his office manufactured. My neck became swollen and I broke out in hives. I contacted the office immediately and was told to use over the counter cortisone cream and “see how it goes.” Called everyday after that, received same advice, and a promise that prescription for steroid cream would be called in if rash didn’t clear up. After ten days of this, I insisted something be done. At that point, I was told to come into the office; no one would call in a prescription for cream because I’d “had the rash for so long.” Well, no kidding. We were on vacation at this time and a seven-hour round trip drive from office. I explained the situation and was told nothing could be done if I didn’t come in to office. Instead, I cancelled all future appointments and saw a local dermatologist who diagnosed the rash and told me she suspected the product I’d been sold was tainted. Did anyone ever call me back to see if rash ever cleared up or why I’d cancelled all follow-ups? Nope.

Take away - don’t let a guy who works on boobs all day, no matter how nice, touch your face. I will post photos later.